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Need "roof" from sunroof chop car


rdeeble

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Yep it's a worse case scenario for me.  I took my refurbished 76 into the shop this week to hopefully repair some paint bubbles in the roof of my otherwise newer paint job (3 years ago). Turns out my roof is toast..  Looking to see if there is a sunroof chop car out there with a good roof for sale...

otherwise I'll need to chop up my non sunroof parts car.  Im in Seattle...

'76 02 (Nellie) daily driver since '94

'76 02 (Oscar) sunroof restore since '10

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Where is the roof rusting?  If the rust is along the trailing edge of the sunroof opening, I did a column on exactly that problem and how to repair without having to change roofs.  PM me and I'll send you a copy. 

 

There was a post on the FAQ a few weeks ago with pictures showing the underside of an '02 roof that was pretty rusty, but still salvageable.  For surface rust and rust blisters on the underside that don't go all the way through, Sherwin-Williams makes an industrial anti-rust primer that really works.  Since no one will see your roof's underside unless they peek under the headliner, you don't need to finish coat it, just the primer--and it's not UV sensitive like POR15.

 

mike

 

'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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I'm afraid I might have the same situation under the paint--
 
IMG_2983.jpg.98137c8157f2bc1832bf66b8ce3ea2d0.jpg


Looks like the bubbling has gotten worse... bummer. I’m really sorry to see that! :(

Is the sunroof still rubbing/scraping when you open it? It used to drive me nuts but it seemed like every time I washed the roof the paint sort of came back to life (like it was just the clear getting slowly sanded off, leaving dust on the sunroof panel that would get washed away with a little water).

Did you speak with Nate about it by any chance? Fortunately, it’s easy enough for them to swap the roof panel (and paint-match it) without doing a full repaint. When I took the car up there we discussed it. Back then he was suggesting I buy a shell and move everything over (given it wasn’t matching numbers to begin with). It was also a lot cheaper to find a painted shell at that time... they seem to be getting harder and harder to find (and by that I mean it’s getting harder and harder to find someone selling/advertising a nice rust-free shell that is being honest in their description of it!!!).

A friend of mine was recently sold a “rust-free” shell only to receive what he called a “POS”. That was putting it lightly too. It needed new frame rails, floor pans, and various other bondo’d spots redone... it’s disgusting to think that there are people out there claiming cars like this to be “rust free”. Even worse, it seems to be happening more and more as the greedy folks come out of the woodworks trying to cash in while the market is hot.

While I’m on the topic, if there is anyone out there who is not quite sure what “rust-free” means, let me clarify for you...

A “rust-free” car, shell, or body panel is one that has absolutely no rust on it. There is no wiggle room there. For example, the statement, “it only has a little bit of surface rust” does not qualify it as “rust-free”. If there was previous rust that was improperly treated, that does not qualify it as “rust-free”. Slapping some lipstick (i.e., bondo, filler and a coat of paint) on your pig (i.e., rusty-ass car, shell, or body panel) does not qualify as being treated, and certainly does not mean it’s “rust-free”. In other words, anything other than RUST-FREE sheet metal is NOT rust-free!!!!

Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now and with that I will wish you good luck. If there is anything I can do to help out please don’t hesitate to let me know. I would love to see Cath’s vision of 02-perfection find its way back to its former glory!!! [emoji16]
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6 hours ago, mccusername said:

I'm afraid I might have the same situation under the paint--

I think I know what's caused your rust--similar appearance to the car I did my column about and quite different from rdeeble, the original poster.  PM me if you'd like a copy of the column.  Yours may be repairable even if there are small perforations.

 

mike

'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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On 8/27/2019 at 10:24 PM, TG2k2 said:

 


Looks like the bubbling has gotten worse... bummer. I’m really sorry to see that! :(

Is the sunroof still rubbing/scraping when you open it? It used to drive me nuts but it seemed like every time I washed the roof the paint sort of came back to life (like it was just the clear getting slowly sanded off, leaving dust on the sunroof panel that would get washed away with a little water).

Did you speak with Nate about it by any chance? Fortunately, it’s easy enough for them to swap the roof panel (and paint-match it) without doing a full repaint. When I took the car up there we discussed it. Back then he was suggesting I buy a shell and move everything over (given it wasn’t matching numbers to begin with). It was also a lot cheaper to find a painted shell at that time... they seem to be getting harder and harder to find (and by that I mean it’s getting harder and harder to find someone selling/advertising a nice rust-free shell that is being honest in their description of it!!!).

A friend of mine was recently sold a “rust-free” shell only to receive what he called a “POS”. That was putting it lightly too. It needed new frame rails, floor pans, and various other bondo’d spots redone... it’s disgusting to think that there are people out there claiming cars like this to be “rust free”. Even worse, it seems to be happening more and more as the greedy folks come out of the woodworks trying to cash in while the market is hot.

While I’m on the topic, if there is anyone out there who is not quite sure what “rust-free” means, let me clarify for you...

A “rust-free” car, shell, or body panel is one that has absolutely no rust on it. There is no wiggle room there. For example, the statement, “it only has a little bit of surface rust” does not qualify it as “rust-free”. If there was previous rust that was improperly treated, that does not qualify it as “rust-free”. Slapping some lipstick (i.e., bondo, filler and a coat of paint) on your pig (i.e., rusty-ass car, shell, or body panel) does not qualify as being treated, and certainly does not mean it’s “rust-free”. In other words, anything other than RUST-FREE sheet metal is NOT rust-free!!!!

Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now and with that I will wish you good luck. If there is anything I can do to help out please don’t hesitate to let me know. I would love to see Cath’s vision of 02-perfection find its way back to its former glory!!! emoji16.png

 

 

Todd,

 

I like to use the term “low rust” for the very best examples, as I’m not convinced there are any “rust-free” 50-year-old cars...

 

I, perhaps optimistically, refer to my ‘76 as “low rust” because the only rust we found at the Big Re-Paint was on the front fenders and the trunk-floor box section between the fuel tank and the right rear quarter panel. There was a spot in the spare tire well, which did not penetrate the sheet metal. And, also perhaps optimistically, I refer to my ‘73 tii as “low rust” because the only rust we’ve found thus far (I haven’t done its Big Re-Paint yet) is where the front passenger floor meets the driveline tunnel, the result of a mis-guided A/C condensate drain.

 

”Low rust” may be vague, but “rust-free” is bullshit, in my opinion. ?

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited by Conserv
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1976 2002 Polaris, 2742541 (original owner)

1973 2002tii Inka, 2762757 (not-the-original owner)

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This particular car (the 'famous' Beaconwood '72 Agave) was definitely never presented as rust-free by anyone but the extent of the roof rust is disappointing because it's such a tricky fix.

 

@mike I got that article from you already-- thanks! I hope it's that 'simple' but I think the roof rust in your article was a side-effect of acid stripping/paint prep, whereas I think the cause of mine is good old-fashioned leaking. The headliner all around the sunroof is stained, and the sunroof cassette has rust, at least on the edges.

 

@TG2k2 Yes, the sunroof still scrapes a bit but the fix is easy-- leave it open and put it in the garage.

 

I'm pretty serious about putting in a sliding Webasto style roof. This car has already been wrecked/restored/repainted extensively, it's got non-original tii engine and running gear, and about 80 pounds of vintage 80s audio gear so it's far from pristine.

 

 

IMG_1918.jpg

IMG_1923.jpg

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I'm pretty serious about putting in a sliding Webasto style roof


I’m really digging the idea of the Webasto-style roof. You’re right. It’s so far from original that it is the perfect car to do this to. That, or turn it in to an early-style cabrio. You only live once, right???

Oh, and by the way... don’t sell the Beaconwood car short. That 80lbs you mentioned is some seriously high-end “they don’t make it like they used to” audiophile-quality gear that is worth every ounce it adds to the car.

I can remember when I first got the car, driving home from the pick-up location on I-95,l when “Bohemian Rhapsody” came on. Needless to say I turned it up... wayyyy up and did my take on the infamous Wayne’s World scene. That audio system would make your ears bleed before even the slightest bit of distortion began making you think you’ve pushed it past its limits. You don’t really expect that in a car that left the factory with absolutely no intention of having an audio system put in it!

Anyhow, I really hope you’re able to get that roof situation sorted out to your liking. I am sure you’ll figure something out. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be much better than it is now. Oh, and as I said before, if you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask. I have way more parts than I need at the moment so I’m happy to do what I can. Also, my wife will thank you (which means she’ll be happy, so I’ll thank you too) for getting this “junk” out of our garage... and attic... and storage room... and basement. [emoji2957]

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5 hours ago, Conserv said:

 

Todd,

I like to use the term “low rust” for the very best examples, as I’m not convinced there are any “rust-free” 50-year-old cars...

”Low rust” may be vague, but “rust-free” is bullshit, in my opinion. ?

 

 

 

 

 

Man,  my opinion of your opinions has plummeted in the past two weeks....?

Looking for a new Guru.

  • Haha 1
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